LILLE, France -- In a brutal contest in which free throws made exceeded 3-pointers converted by a margin of more than 4-to-1, it was inevitable that the vacant berth in Sunday's EuroBasket final would be filled by a team that showed nerves of steel.
Five times previously in these championships, Lithuania had been pushed to the wire and been unable to exhale until the last. Only once, in a shocker to Belgium, had they melted away under the lights. And Friday in Lille, even with Serbia scraping and scrapping until the bitter end, the lean, mean men in green did just enough to keep their grip on victory, a 67-64 win that clinched both a showdown with Spain for the title and a place at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Ugly. A grind. An upset. Whatever it takes.
"The whole of Lithuania were maybe watching our game," coach Jonas Kazlauskas declared with a hint of a smile. "If it was easy, or not interesting, they would go to sleep. We have a big sponsor, a beer company. They pay big money for our games so we have to somehow keep them interested."
There was no danger they would have drifted away. Same for the drum-rolling, wig-wearing, high-fiving hordes who have traveled here from the cities of Vilnius, Kaunas and elsewhere, rocking their giant flag up and down, the Cameron Crazies in glorious technicolor.
For 35 minutes and as many seconds, their national team was ahead. But never comfortable. Even when Serbia trailed 28-17 early in the second quarter, they were far from spent. "We didn't open the game fighting," coach Sasha Djordjevic said. "Lithuania was physical as we know they will. That was their game plan obviously. We tried to come back. We came back."
With ball pressure constant, it was a shootout where both sets of gunslingers were firing blanks. Lithuania was a horrific 2-for-14 from 3-point range. Another attempt, another miss, Kazlauskas burying his head in his hands. "To beat Serbia with 20 turnovers and only two 3-pointers is unusual," he noted.
Djordjevic, whose side converted 21 percent from long range, felt his pain. "We made bad choices in taking a lot of 3-point shots. There is no 3-pointer which is worth nine points. We looked for the big three instead of moving the ball, in and out, moving around the Lithuanian team. We didn't make those shots and if we did, it would have been different. But 6-for-28 is something we couldn't believe."
In the end, even a 3 from Milos Teodosic that cut Lithuania's lead to 65-64 with 15 seconds left could not save last year's World Cup finalists from having to play off with France for bronze. Such small margins decided by small intangibles.
It was, both combatants agreed, a question of mental toughness, of who could better cope with the high stakes.
Serbia, unbeaten in seven games here, were favorites to win here and win again on Sunday. Despite the proud legacy of Yugoslavia, they were caught unawares by the sudden and large expectations on their shoulders. "I found out that thing once we came here, talking to them, they said we had a lot to lose," revealed Djordjevic, who had 41 points when Yugoslavia defeated the Lithuanians in the 1995 final. "I didn't share that thought. You go to a competition and show your best and go for it. You don't worry about being favorite."
Despite taking silver in Slovenia two years ago, in spite of finishing fourth at the 2014 World Cup, Lithuania has been the underdog here. People can place their bets as they like.
"Before the 2013 championships, everybody was saying we were not a good team but we had great players," Kazlauskas claimed. "In the World Cup, everyone was talking about the good schedule. I don't know what they'll say now but maybe they'll find some reason. What we have I think this generation are talented but need time and need experience." Perhaps their secret is that no one, not even their coach, knows quite what will unfold. Jonas Valanciunas had a team-high 15 points but much of Lithuania's strongest spells came when the Raptors' center was back on the bench. Point guard Mantas Kalnietis, inconsistent so far, delivered nine assists but eight turnovers. Still, they kept calm and carried on. No matter if each brought a little or a lot. It was collectively enough.
"This is the Lithuanian mentality, that's all," Kazlauskas said with a smile. "The first is we have rules on the team. It does not matter if you are big star or role player. Everybody must follow their roles." All for one, one for all.
Now they have one more test of nerve. One more battle to endure. And perhaps, against the odds, a trophy to steal.